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The factors influencing the high levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) seen in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were investigated and the role of elevated NGF in hyperactive voiding was examined. Findings indicate that the high tissue NGF presence in SHRs was a result of the high basal NGF secretion of the vascular and bladder smooth muscle cells in SHR. Moreover, a defect in the regulation of NGF production in SHR smooth muscle cells result in the suppression of the inhibitory signaling pathways and the hyperresponsiveness of excitatory signaling mechanisms of NGF production.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder that is often diagnosed during childhood, but has also increasingly been recognized to occur in adults. Importantly, up to 52% of children (including adolescents) and 87% of adults with ADHD also have a comorbid psychiatric disorder. The presence of a comorbid disorder has the potential to impact diagnosis and could affect treatment outcomes. Atomoxetine is a nonstimulant treatment for ADHD. Despite numerous published studies regarding efficacy of atomoxetine in the treatment of ADHD in patients with comorbid disorders, there is limited information about the impact of individual common comorbid disorders on the efficacy of atomoxetine for ADHD, especially with regard to adults. Moreover, a cumulative review and assessment of these studies has not been conducted. For this reason, we performed a literature review to find, identify, and cumulatively review clinical studies that examined the efficacy of atomoxetine in the treatment of patients with ADHD and comorbid psychiatric disorders. We found a total of 50 clinical studies (37 in children; 13 in adults) that examined the efficacy of atomoxetine in patients with ADHD and a comorbid disorder. The comorbidities that were studied in children or in adults included anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder. Overall, the presence of comorbidity did not adversely impact the efficacy of atomoxetine in treatment of ADHD symptoms in both patient populations. In the studies identified and assessed in this review, atomoxetine did not appear to exacerbate any of the comorbid conditions and could, therefore, be an important therapy choice for the treatment of ADHD in the presence of comorbid disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the practical applications of a medical writing competency model developed by a medical writing task force associated with the Drug Information Association. The model describes work functions, activities, knowledge, skills, and behaviors deemed necessary to perform successfully as a medical writer in the pharmaceutical industry. The focus of this article is on how the model can be a professional tool to help medical writers and medical writing organizations with organizational structure development; recruiting and hiring; onboarding, training, and development; setting expectations and aligning to assignments; performance evaluation and staff retention; and defining the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mirikizumab, a p19-directed interleukin-23 monoclonal antibody, is efficacious in inducing clinical remission at week 12 (W12) and maintaining clinical remission at W52 in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Results are presented from the open-label extension study through W104., Methods: Clinical, symptomatic, quality-of-life, and adverse event outcomes are reported for mirikizumab induction responders and extended induction responders, including biologic-failed patients, who entered LUCENT-3, with data shown for W52 maintenance responders or remitters. Discontinuations or missing data were handled by nonresponder imputation (NRI), modified NRI (mNRI), and observed case (OC)., Results: Among W52 mirikizumab responders, clinical response at W104 was 74.5%, 87.2%, and 96.7% and clinical remission was 54.0%, 62.8%, and 70.1% for NRI, mNRI, and OC, respectively. Among W52 mirikizumab remitters, clinical response at W104 was 76.6%, 89.0%, and 98.3% and clinical remission was 65.6%, 76.1%, and 84.2%. Using mNRI, remission rates at W104 for W52 clinical remitters were 74.7% corticosteroid-free, 79.5% endoscopic, 63.9% histologic-endoscopic mucosal remission, 85.9% symptomatic, 59.8% bowel urgency, 80.5% Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (using NRI), 71.2% histologic-endoscopic mucosal improvement, and 77.5% bowel urgency improvement. Previous biologic-failed vs not-biologic-failed patient data were generally similar. Extended induction mNRI clinical response was 81.9%. Serious adverse events were reported in 5.2% of patients; 2.8% discontinued treatment due to adverse events., Conclusions: Endoscopic, histologic, symptomatic, and quality-of-life outcomes support the long-term benefit of mirikizumab treatment up to 104 weeks in patients with ulcerative colitis, including biologic-failed patients, with no new safety concerns., (© 2024 Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.)